Health Benefits of Avocados

Avocados can contain as much as 76 mg of beta-sitosterol for each 100 grams of raw edible avocado. Beta-sitosterol has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels by inhibiting cholesterol absorption from the intestine.

Although avocados are high in fat, they are mostly monounsaturated fats -- the good fat that tends to improve your cholesterol profile. There is only a little bit of polyunsaturated fat and saturated fat.

WebMD says that "Avocados are almost as good as blueberries in promoting brain health."  This is due to the good monounsaturated fats that improve blood flow.

EatingWell.com article says "The monounsaturated fats in avocados have been found to lower “bad” LDLs and raise “good” HDLs, especially in people with mildly elevated cholesterol." ^[ref]

This has an overall effect of lowering serum total cholesterol levels as well as lowering triglycerides.

Anti-oxidants protect cells from free radical damage and helps to maintain healthy heart and protect against certain forms of cancers.   Avocados has a whole bunch of anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals including vitamin E, vitamin C, glutathione, and beta-carotene.   With a serving size of one-fifth of medium avocado, there are 4% daily value of vitamin E and 4% daily value of vitamin C.

In addition to those important anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals, avocado has 16% DV (daily value) of folate, 4% fiber, 4% Vitamin B6, and 4% potassium (in the same serving size of 1/5 an avocado). It also contains iron, riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Zinc, Phosphorus, Niacin, potassium, and Thiamine.

Avocados is one of the highest fruit source of lutein, which help maintain healthy eyes.

Avocados have about 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients as mentioned above. Compared to other commonly eaten fruits, avocados is the ranked among the highest in the nutrient-density of vitamin E, folate, potassium, magnesium, lutein, beta-sitosterol and glutathione. Avocado is like a natural daily vitamin pill.

Avocados helps lower cholesterol and help your body absorb the nutrients of other foods. It is a good idea to substitute avocado in place of regular bread spreads such as mayonnaise. As comparison table shows, avocado used as a spread is a much healthier alternative.

Not only is avocados packed with nutrients, when eaten along with other fruits and vegetables, it increases your body's ability to absorb other nutrients.

Dr. Steven Schwartz of Ohio State says "Many fruits and vegetables are rich in beneficial carotenoids, but most fruits and vegetables are virtually fat free, which may limit the body's ability to absorb some of these nutrients. Our latest research shows that the natural fat content in avocados increases carotenoid absorption, which offers nutritional advantages over other sources of fat like salad dressings."^[ref]

The Ohio State study had participants eat salads and salsa with and without avocados. Blood test shows that those who had it with avocados had more absorption of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene.

And if you ever wonder if avocado is a fruit or a vegetable, it is a fruit.